Filed under: Developing the Process
When I started work on the series, “God’s Appointment Book” back in 2008, I found that getting ideas out on canvas brought with it a strange and wonderful by-product: more ideas. Each painting opened up a rabbit warren of more paths to explore, variables to try, and ponderings that needed further pondering. So much so I would lay awake at night thinking, “Oh, that would be so cool to try. Gotta remember that!” Someone would mention an artist to look up, a website to check out. I’d come across a quote that hit the nail squarely, or I’d think of supplies to experiment with, things to build, things to buy. You get the idea. Too many balls to keep in the air. Too many ideas, too little brain capacity. A pleasant surprise, and not a surprise.
Solution? I bought a paper brain. A sketchbook/notebook/journal where I could dump all the plans, ideas, lists, sources, quotes, drawings, notes, doodles, everything.
My criteria were:
Consistency: I didn’t want a mishmosh of sizes, bindings, shapes. I wanted it to get to be familiar—a fixture.
Availability: So, if consistent, then it had to be commonly available, not a one-off, made by one-dealer-who-promptly-goes-out-of-business thing.
Size: Big enough to draw in, not so big it was a pain to carry around. A plus if it could fit in a large jacket pocket.
Cost: Reasonably affordable and not fancy so I wouldn’t treat it too preciously, i.e., “Gee, is this idea worth wasting a sheet of deckle-edged, handmade paper?”
Durability: It had to be tough enough to be carried around for a few months and not fall apart. Spiral binding proved bad at this.
After a little experimenting, I settled on the black 5 1/2″ x 8 1/2″ hardbound generic sketchbook. They’re available pretty much everywhere, cost 6 or 7 bucks, and if you scout it, you can find the occasional good deal. But your desires and criteria may vary. All I know is that it’s been a good thing—and a bit of a relief—to carry a paper brain.
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